This invention relates to a structure for fixing a radiator grille to the front portion of an automobile body.
In the fixing of a radiator grille to the front portion of an automobile body, a fastener which comprises means capable of being attached on one side to the radiator grille and on the other side to the automobile body has been adopted to heighten the efficiency of the fixing work. Generally, the fastener of this type possesses means for fast engagement with the radiator grille and the automobile body. With this fastener, therefore, the fixing of the radiator grille and the automobile body is accomplished by bringing this means into snapping engagement with the fitting holes bored at the matched positions of the radiator grille and the automobile body.
Where the method described above is adopted for the fixing in question, the engaging means of the fastener is naturally required to be readily insertable into the fitting holes bored one each in the radiator grille and the automobile body. To fulfill this requirement, the material and construction of the engaging means are carefully designed so that the produced engaging means will exhibit a proper degree of flexibility. Generally, a plurality of such fasteners are attached fast to peripheral locations of the radiator grille and the automobile body is fastened to these fasteners afterward. It often happens that especially the fitting holes bored at the fitting positions on the automobile body more or less deviate from their exact positions. Also for the purpose of absorbing this positional deviation, due consideration must be paid to the necessity for enabling the engaging means of the fastener to possess ample flexibility.
When such ample flexibility is imparted to the fastener, however, the force with which the radiator grille is fastened to the automobile body declines even to a point where the fastener will fail to withstand the vibrations exerted thereon by the automobile body during its travel on a particularly rough road surface. Because of these circumstances, a fastener construction which permits the attachment of the radiator grille to the automobile body to be accomplished with a simple operation and, yet, enables the union between the radiator grille and the automobile body to be retained securely has been desired.